Making cars greener?

Automakers now have to tell New York State drivers the environmental information of the new cars and trucks they buy thanks to legislation signed by Governor Eliot Spitzer today.  The Global warming index sticker which is required for the 2010 model year will provide details of the greenhouse emissions on a sticker. The stickers will detail carbon dioxide, a major contributor to warming temperatures worldwide, in addition to methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. Can you read that sentence out loud without your tongue tripping up?  They just sound like sinister things that would mess with whatever or whomever touches them.  Full details can be found at Governor Spitzer's web site.

Of course, California has a similar measure in place that take effect a year before the New York plan.  While California and New York are probably some of the "greenest" states in the nation we are probably also two of the largest population powerhouses of the country, so it is only natural for us to lead the green charge with such legislation. 

This means we will be seeing the emission information for those cute little buggies that have been popular in Europe, the smart car.  Mercedes' little brain child will be available in the US next year.  They are tiny, they are light, they only hold 2 people and they get 40 miles to the gallon.  WOW, right?  Is that really a wow?  My Scion XB gets 34 miles to the gallon and I can hold 4 passengers plus the driver and I have cargo space. They are great for urban spaces but I don't think I would want to drive it on the interstate. It seems like a fender bender might not be a small deal for this baby.  I don't see them being very practical for middle America, nothing more than a novelty.

Now if only automakers were required to cut those emissions significantly by 2010. There will be a bit of competition among vehicle models...the stickers  "(1) compares the emissions of global warming gases from the vehicle with the average projected emissions from all vehicles of the same model year, and (2) identifies the vehicle model within its class with the lowest emissions of that model year."  -- from Governor Spitzer's press release.

Comments

[Pat the Rat]

The SmartCars do surprisingly well in crash tests:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz-s1sIoLhU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s
Not to say it's safer than larger cars, but it's not nearly as bad as you might be led to believe. Mercedes did a great job with stiffening the frame around the passenger compartment. Still, for all the bigger it is, I used to get better gas mileage with my 1994 Geo Metro (52 city/55 hwy) and it had 4 seats plus a trunk/hatch. Wish I still had it now.